1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a manufacturing method for flat display apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various flat display apparatuses have been developed as a next generation of lightweight, thin image display apparatuses to replace cathode-ray tubes (hereinafter referred to as CRT). These known flat display apparatuses include a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as LCD), plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as PDP), field emission display (hereinafter referred to as FED), surface-conduction emitter display (hereinafter referred to as SED), etc. In the LCD, the intensity of light is controlled by utilizing the orientation of a liquid crystal. In the PDP, phosphors are caused to glow by means of ultraviolet rays that are produced by plasma discharge. In the FED, phosphors are caused to glow by means of electron beams that are emitted from field-emission electron emitting elements. In the SED, phosphors are caused to glow by means of electron beams that are emitted from surface-conduction electron emitting elements.
Preferably, the size of display apparatuses, including ones that are not flat, should enjoy wide variation to cope with market demands. It is to be desired, moreover, that commodities of different sizes should be able to be quickly supplied to meet the needs.
If various sizes that are required by the market are to be covered by the manufacture, however, the manufacturing line may be complicated or the manufacturing equipment must be remodeled or, in some cases, changed completely on each occasion, thus requiring a vast investment.
Thus, in manufacturing processes for flat display apparatuses, flat substrates that are used in the flat display apparatuses must be formed having patterns for a phosphor screen, color filter, electron sources, plasma cells, drive wiring array, TFT array, etc., depending on the specifications of the display apparatuses. Manufacturing apparatuses that can cope with size differences must be used to manufacture a plurality of types of flat substrates of different sizes on the same manufacturing line.